2003-01-14 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Dwain Millikin with Cox Communications addressed the council regarding the possibility of raising the cable franchise fee. Currently the cable company pays $1.00 per customer per year to the City and they absorbed the cost instead of passing it along to the customer. The City receives approximately $3,200.00 per year. If the city imposes a 4.25% franchise fee to the cable company, which is the amount that Entergy, Southwestern Bell and Reliant Energy pays, it would generate approximately $73,000.00 per years. Mr. Millikin said they are against raising the franchise fee and would be forced to pass the tax along to the customer. He said that the difference in his company and the other utilities is that cable TV is not a necessity and the other utilities are. He also noted that they have competition with the dish satellite companies that don't have to pay a franchise. No decision was made. MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Mayor Biard told the council, as per their request,received an appraisal on the Old Water Plant Property located on lower River Street. He said he talked to surrounding landowners to see is anyone as interested in purchasing the property. He said White River Petroleum Co. was interested. He said he also spoke to the Sims family and asked them to contact him by 5:00 PM today if they were interested. He said they did not contact him so he had to assume they were not interested. The council agreed to give the Mayor authority to sell the property to White River Petroleum Co. Mayor Biard said that the City will receive monies from FEMA to help defer the expenses that the City has been out due to the ice storm on December 3 and 4. The Mayor said the City could receive around $80,000 as soon as April or May of this year. The Mayor asked the council if they were still interested in a sign ordinance for the City. He said the Planning Commission worked on an ordinance to present to the council but never did